BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The Horizon League and the Ohio Valley Conference announced today a partnership of their men's tennis member institutions beginning in the 2022-23 academic year.
The innovative and groundbreaking partnership in Division I athletics combines the men's tennis membership of the two conferences to ensure NCAA championship access under the umbrella of Horizon League competition. It will provide the men's tennis member institutions a full complement of conference matches, a conference championship experience at the Horizon League championship and the opportunity for those teams eligible per NCAA rules to earn an automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Championship.
"We are very excited about this innovative collaboration with the Ohio Valley Conference to ensure the long term future of the Horizon League Men's Tennis Championship and our automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championship," said Horizon League Commissioner Julie Roe Lach. "Special thanks to Commissioner DeBauche and the OVC athletics directors for creatively working towards a win-win for our collective men's tennis programs. We would also like to welcome Chicago State as an affiliate member for both men's and women's tennis."
"The changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics requires we have an openness to identifying new and creative ways to provide our student-athletes with outstanding competitive opportunities," said OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche. "The OVC programs and Belmont University are delighted to join the Horizon League programs and grateful to Commissioner Roe Lach and the Horizon League directors of athletics for their willingness to collaborate and embrace a new partnership model that illustrates how two likeminded conferences can work together to help provide opportunities for student-athletes, strengthen the sport of men's tennis and maintain regional competition."
The partnership also includes the addition of Belmont (Missouri Valley Conference) and Chicago State (independent) as affiliate programs. With those additions the League will have a total of 11 men's tennis teams split into two divisions. The North Division will include Chicago State, Cleveland State, IUPUI, Northern Kentucky and Youngstown State, while the South Division will consist of Belmont, Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, Southern Indiana, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech.
Final conference schedules and championship format will be announced at a later date.
ABOUT THE HORIZON LEAGUE
The Horizon League is an NCAA Division I athletics conference comprised of 11 member institutions located throughout the Midwest's major metropolitan cities. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the League and its members strive to be highly competitive athletically while committing to the total development of its student-athletes and creating a lasting impact on campus and in the community. For more information, visit HorizonLeague.com.
ABOUT THE OVC
The Ohio Valley Conference, which celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2022-23, was founded in 1948, making it the eighth-oldest Division I athletic conference. Over the years OVC teams have garnered national championships in football along with national team or individual titles in the sports of rifle, cross country, track and golf. In the 1950s the OVC became a pioneer when Morehead State became one of the first non-traditionally Black mid-southern institutions to accept an African American student. Soon after the passing of Title IX legislation, the OVC began formulating plans for women's athletics which began in 1977. The OVC has long been a national leader in sportsmanship and in 1995 implemented a first-of-its-kind Sportsmanship Statement, a policy that promotes principals of fair play, ethical conduct and respect for one's opponent. For more information, visit www.OVCSports.com.
